WHAT IS THE WELL
The Well is a non-denominational campus ministry seeking to make Jesus Christ known among the college students of East Tennessee. Our mission is to reach students for Christ, build them in their faith, and send them out equipped in the gospel to make disciples. We seek to fulfill our mission through four main avenues: Worship gatherings, small group Bible studies, fun events, and service opportunities.
WORSHIP GATHERINGS
Each Wednesday night of the school year 300 – 500 college students in The Well community gather for an experience where teaching, worship, and music come together to help bring life and faith into focus. With a creative, real life approach, each gathering is designed to help students connect with Jesus Christ in a personal way!
SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDIES
Weekly, hundreds of students participate in student-led, small group Bible studies. We believe students grow best in the circle of a small group, rather than the rows of a large group gathering. As a result, small groups are designed to help students grow in their understanding of God’s Word. At the same time, small groups help students develop friendships and relationships that will help them to remain faithful to Christ, as they face the temptations of college life.
SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Our desire is to see college students mobilized to reach their generation and to be equipped to reach the generations that will follow. Through student volunteer teams, service projects, and mission trips, students are encouraged to use their gifts to reach their campus, community, and world for the cause of Christ!
FUN EVENTS
We like to have fun, because college students like to have fun. As a result, our desire is to create “Christ-centered events that college students love to attend!” Through fun events like Barn Parties and Spring Dances, students have opportunities to invite friends who wouldn’t otherwise attend a worship gathering or a Bible study. As a result, these events open doors for spiritual conversations to take place.
WHAT IS 20/20?
More than just a catchy title, 20/20 represents a real need and a vision for the future of The Well Ministry!
For decades, a nightclub has existed within walking distance of ETSU. It has been called The Seahorse, Tu-La-Fe, The Planet, Chrome, and most recently The Library.
Over 20 years ago, we started praying over that property, asking that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed there and that a new kind of singing and dancing would take place for the glory of God.
Back in 2018, it became clear that our ability to meet weekly in campus facilities would become increasingly difficult. We wanted to stay within walking distance of ETSU, and our eyes shifted toward West Walnut Street.
By the grace of God and the generosity of 50 families, on December 21st, 2018 we purchased this property debt-free for the price of $900,000! The Well officially owns The Library Nightclub!
SO WHAT IS 20/20?
20/20 is the name of the capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to tear down this property and transform the nightclub into a trendy coffee shop, a worship auditorium, and our offices.
The Well is a non-denominational campus ministry unique to ETSU. We are not part of a larger national organization. We have always been completely funded by gifts of alumni, families, individuals, churches, and businesses from our community. This is a HUGE step of faith for us!
SO WHY 20/20
Originally, we prayed that construction would begin by fall of 2020. Well then 2020 happened! It was a year of challenge, turmoil, and unpredictability. But you know what? The year 2020 gave incredible clarity to our vision for this project. 2020 gave us 20/20 vision! 2020 made it even more clear that we need to pursue this building project as we desperately need a permanent home for our ministry. 2020 has made the spiritual needs of the next generation even more clear as students battle confusion, isolation, fear, depression, and anxiety. Students need Jesus Christ, the truth and anchor for their souls, throughout all seasons and circumstances. 2020 has shown us how much our nation and world need Jesus Christ and the importance of raising up laborers during the college years to go out into the world with the truth of the gospel. And 2020 has made it even more clear how difficult it will be for us to utilize and depend upon university facilities into the future. And that’s why we’re continuing to call this campaign 20/20. As a ministry, we want to double down, with 20/20 vision, to continue to reach college students for Christ.
THE VISION
THE PREVIOUS PROPERTY WAS COMPOSED OF TWO DIFFERENT BUILDINGS – 812 AND 820 WEST WALNUT ST. WE HAVE TORN DOWN BOTH OF THESE EXISTING STRUCTURES DUE TO SEVERE FIRE DAMAGE, AND OUR VISION IS TO BUILD THREE DISTINCT AREAS ON THE PROPERTY.
We have torn down the structure on 812 and plan to replace it with a trendy coffee shop that will face West Walnut Street. The city hopes to make West Walnut a thriving street that links the university to downtown with restaurants, parks, and apartment buildings that will invite pedestrian traffic. This coffee shop falls right in line with their vision, and ours, as we seek to continue to minister to this demographic. We seek to build a beautiful and inviting space on the inside and out, where students can gather, study, and build relationships. We see this as a way to hire our students and have a Christ-centered business that will be a light on this street and a front door to meeting students right where they are. This will be a 6-day a week facility and all profits from this business will be used to fund the operating expenses of The Well Ministry.
The main component of our construction on West Walnut will be the facility used for our weekly worship gatherings. We have torn down the existing structure on 820 West Walnut and will replace it with a 500+ seat auditorium. An auditorium this size will allow us to have banquets, concerts, and special events in this space. The building will also contain a catering kitchen, making large-scale banquets possible. We see this as not only a blessing to our ministry, but to the community at large where venues like this are needed in our city.
We plan to move our main offices of The Well to the property on 820 West Walnut Street. We plan to have a number of offices for our staff team and spaces for meetings and small group Bible Studies. Additionally, the outside green space can be utilized as a multi-purpose gathering space for both the coffee shop and our main building.
PROJECTED COSTS
ALTHOUGH FINAL COST(S) ARE STILL BEING DEVELOPED,
BUILDERS HAVE GIVEN US THE FOLLOWING COST PROJECTIONS.
PHASE 1
TOTAL LAND ACQUISITION COSTS – $900,000
PHASE 1 WAS FULLY FUNDED BY APPROXIMATELY 50 FAMILIES.
PHASE 2
| CONSTRUCTION | $5,100,000 |
| SITE DEVELOPMENT | $900,000 |
| Design Fees, Fixtures, Furnishings, & Equipment |
$700,000 |
| CONTINGENCY | $300,000 |
| PROJECTED BUILDING COST | $7,000,000 |
THE NEED
In order to secure the remaining $500,000 of the $1,000,000 matching gift, we are asking the Lord to provide the following gifts to help us meet that need, bringing us to the $5,000,000 mark so that construction can begin.
| NUMBER OF DONORS | PLEDGE OF | TOTAL PARTNERSHIP GIFT |
| 1 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 3 | $25,000 | $75,000 |
| 5 | $15,000 | 75,000 |
| 10 | $10,000 | $100,000 |
| 20 | $5,000 | $100,000 |
| 20 | $2,500 | $50,000 |
| 30 | $1,000 | $30,000 |
| 40 | $500 | $20,000 |
| TOTAL | $500,000 | |